Flowserve Supports Society of Women Engineers Conference

Flowserve recently made its first appearance at the world’s largest conference for women engineers and students in Nashville, Tennessee. The Society of Women Engineers Conference and Career Fair (SWE15) attracted more than 8,000 attendees who were eager to enhance their professional development, network and pursue career opportunities with more than 200 participating companies. Flowserve is corporate partner of SWE and one of the sponsors of this year’s conference.

The annual three-day event brings together leading businesses, organizations, universities and innovators in engineering from around the world. The conference gave Flowserve an opportunity to interact with individuals who want to learn more about engineering or are considering a strategic career move. In addition to opportunities to engage with diverse talent, the conference featured many speakers and professional development sessions.

Flowserve sponsored a booth at the career fair and a phone charging station, which was a popular gathering place where our representatives could share information with participants. Flowserve was represented by associates from six different sites: Bethlehem, Chesapeake, Cookeville, Irving, Raleigh and Taneytown. Those who attended were Bonnie Brezinsky, Carly Baugher, Christine Strobush, Cinnamon Christian, Elisa Paul, Erika Finch, Laura Spieldenner, Lindsey Pryor, Renee Claborn and Sheree Wright.

Associates said the conference was valuable on several fronts.

“Our booth was represented by amazing women from six different locations, many of whom had not previously met one another,” said Christine Strobush, Director, R&D Project Management Office, Irving, Texas. “To increase our brand awareness and leadership position within the SWE community, I would like to see Flowserve have a bigger presence next year, including a visible speaking role on stage.”

From a recruiting standpoint, there were opportunities to interact with potential job candidates from all over.

“The SWE conference brings engineering talent to one area so we can introduce our company to several thousand current and future engineers,” said Sheree Wright, Manager, Human Resources, Cookeville, Tennessee. “To see the energy and excitement of students who are eager to learn and join our organization energizes me!”

Added Carly Baugher, Project Manager, Taneytown, Maryland: “Introducing the Flowserve name to students in areas where we may not have a local presence is very important to connecting with talented individuals. I also feel women engineers are more likely to accept an offer from a company which demonstrates that it values and strives to develop female employees. Our presence at SWE is indicative of this kind of culture at Flowserve.”

Baugher stated that presenters provided “valuable strategies relating to business, work-life balance and leadership that I will use in my everyday work.”

The event showcased up-to-date technology and recruiting techniques which Elisa Paul, Applications Engineer in Chesapeake, Virginia, found useful.

“I was able to participate in discussions about different technologies and how to possibly implement them into our own industry,” Paul said. “It was also beneficial to see how many other large companies are recruiting and getting candidates interested.”

Renee Claborn, Human Resources Representative in Cookeville, described the event as “a ball of energy, enthusiasm, collaboration, information gathering and educating.” “The conference gave us a chance to network, learn best practices and serve as ambassadors for Flowserve,” she said.